Breaking: Declawing Of Cats Is Now Banned In The State Of New Jersey

If you have a cat, you know that they like to scratcheverything. An expensive rug, a pretty chair, your forearm, it doesn’t matter. If you have a cat, you’ve definitely endured scratches to your belongings and your person. It’s just part of the deal.

However, some people have sought to remove the issue of scratching altogether through a process calledonychectomy, which is a fancy word for declawing.

This is a procedure in which the claws of a cat, usually on the front paws but sometimes on the rear, are removed, along with the end bones of the cat’s toes.

If that sounds brutal and cruel to you, you’re not alone.

Many people find declawing to be a form of animal cruelty. Not only is there the pain and recovery time of the actual surgery, but it renders cats unable to do the things cats like to do, like climb, hunt, and yes, scratch. If cats get out, they’re also unable to defend themselves.

But even with so many opponents, it’s estimated that nearly 25% of cats in North America are declawed, and some people still don’t think the practice harms the cat, so it remains a common enough procedure.

However, that may soon start changing. A recentl alw in New Jersey bans the practice altogether, and other states may follow suit.

Cats, though, have a natural urge to scratch at things, and so declawing them can not only lead to chronic pain and difficulty walking, but also psychological issues as they can’t fulfill a basic, instinctual need.

Nicole Feddersen, medical director of the SPCA in Monmouth County, New Jersey, describes declawing as an “invasive surgery” with “risk for pain and lameness. A cat still has the urge to scratch but cannot.”